Welcome to the our website. Here you can find everything relating to the rights of the elderly, rights that are often neglected resulting in the elderly left to the mercy of daily life. The elderly should fully participate in social, welfare and economic development and thus enjoy the results of progress and prosperity in society. The purpose of our work is to send a clear message concerning the protection of the rights of elderly people, particularly in the areas of health care, welfare and pension rights.

The Association is an umbrella association of NGOs dealing with issues relating to the aging population in the Republic of Croatia. Our association is a member of the International Network for the Prevention of Abuse of Elderly Persons – INPEA. The Association for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Elderly People was established to promote and improve the protection of senior citizens’ rights in our society, reveal the presence of various forms of abuse of elderly people and draw attention to discrimination against age. The work of the association is based on the provisions of the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Croatia, the United Nations and the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Association’s activities include organizing and implementing human rights education, organizing educational workshops on identifying and preventing abuse of the elderly, media promotion and organizing professional seminars and conferences in such areas of activity and providing free legal assistance.

The right to dignity in old-age. We believe that all the elderly have the right to a dignified life! Society cannot close our eyes to the fact that a large number of elderly people are exposed to difficult and undignified living conditions. Growing old is not something that happens to someone else. We all grow old and expect that the age we reach is lived in a fulfilled and dignified manner. The elderly have the right to this as well. Therefore, we’ve decided to act to bring about public awareness of the disadvantaged status of elderly people, while monitoring the protection of the rights of elderly people, encouraging the relevant authorities to undertake necessary action for the protection of the rights of the elderly in our community.

Unequal treatment or the denial of rights based on the age of an individual or organization. Discrimination due to prejudice, ignorance, lack of reasoning and stereotypes has resulted in the elderly living in continual poverty and suffering from untreated chronic diseases if homeless or if living in unsuitable accommodation as victims of violence and abuse, or the inability to receive education - little or no access to it at all. Only a change in social attitudes, including attitudes and expectations of the elderly themselves will reduce discrimination and the exclusion of the elderly, resulting in an allocation of national resources to meet their needs. The elderly usually find it difficult to air their voices, to be seen, heard and understood. They continue to be excluded from dialogue and action when it comes to improving their personal situation and position in society. As a result, elderly women and men do not receive a role in sharing national and global progress, especially the elderly in rural areas.

THEY MUST NOT BE HIDDEN FROM VIEW. Abuse of the elderly in the community is not a private or family affair. The fundamental provisions of the Protection from Domestic Violence Act (Official Gazette No. 116/03) place particularly stress on the obligation to report domestic violence and also cites that health workers, social welfare officers, psychologists, social workers, social pedagogues and employees at educational institutions are required when undertaking their duties to report discovered committed violence in the family to the police or to the relevant State Attorney. People who do not adhere to these provisions are committing an infringement.